R.N.Z.A.F. Buffalo Colour scheme and markings

[Allok]

The typical RNZAF colour scheme for the buffalo seems to be as follows:

Dark green and dark earth upper surfaces with 50/50 black and sky grey undersurface (includes wheel hubs).

The demarcation of the 50/50 split on the cowling is not entirely clear and may differ between aircraft. On some aircraft it goes all the way to the front and on others the black stops at the front cowl ring leaving the plane with a blue chin (although this could actually have been BMF! and the same near the tail apparently).

The code letters and the band are sky blue (although, this could be Duck-egg blue), the serial is black, the spinner tip is sky, the props are black with yellow tips, the tyres are black and the pilots are pale green . Basically the whole thing is the same colour as an early war Hurricane!

Check out Jims post below for more accurate details.

 

The roundels and unit markings appear smaller than most other RAF aircraft at the time. So you may be able to make use of some old 1/48-scale fighter decals or even 1/72-scale bomber leftovers... or maybe not.

 

The "A1" type red/white/blue/yellow roundels on the side of the fuse measure 900mm in real life (making them around 28mm in 1/32) and the unit letters are about 480mm (approx 15mm) and should be around 70-80mm thick (2-2.5mm). The roundels on the upper wings are the low viz "B" type of dark blue and red and also measure about 900mm. The ones on the underside are the bog standard red, white and blue "A" type and are about 960mm in diameter (30mm).

The red/white/blue fin flashes were most likely equal portions totaling 600mm (18mm)

The band around the fuse is about 450mm wide (14mm). The serial near the tail is the same as all the other RNZAF serial nos. at around 180mm (5mm).

 

All this is very approximate and hopefully somebody like Eagle Strike will bring out a properly researched after market sheet... won't that be fun.

 

I have edited this a little from the original post after doing some more digging.

[Jim Maas]

Since the Matchbox kit, there has been further information developed. The uppoer surface colors were indeed Dark Earth and Dark Green (although the exact shades of the American supplied equivalents are undr dispute). Undersurfaces are now believed to be Sky Grey (FS 36463) since, when the British Purchasing Commission came to the US, Sky had not yet been intoduced in the UK. The Buffaloes were delivered to the Far East in these colors, with national insignia. Fuselage bands and spinners were painted in Sky by Maintenance Units in Singapore (by mid 1941, Sky was in wide distribution) and squadron codes in Medium Sea Grey, except for 488 Squadron - 'NF' - which used Sky codes. The black port underwing marking was also added to some aircraft, an echo of a short lived December 1940 requirement for fighters.

The uppersurface camouflage was bog-standard MAP 'A' and 'B' patterns - 'B' was a simple mirror image of the 'A' pattern shown here.

[LDSmodeller]

Allok

 

I can only agree with Jim nothing more to say!!

 

Jim a big welcome to LSP especially, with your knowledge of aircraft especially all things Brewster

 

Glad to have you on the forum

 

Alan